Registered nurses take care of patients, educate them and their families on particular illnesses and conditions, and supervise licensed practical nurses, nursing aides and home care aides. They typically work in hospitals, physician's offices and other medical facilities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, RNs typically take one of the following education paths: a bachelor's of science degree in nursing (BSN), an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN), or a diploma from an approved nursing program. Registered nurses must also be licensed to practice.

National Averages

The BLS reports the average yearly salary for RNs was $69,110 as of May 2011. The median salary, or halfway point, was $65,950 a year. The lowest-paid 10 percent of registered nurses earned less than $44,970 a year, while the highest-paid 10 percent earned $96,630 a year or more. According to a December 2010 report by Scrubs magazine, the highest paying nursing specialty belonged to certified registered nurse anesthetists, who averaged $135,000 per year.

Employers

More than half of the nation’s 2.7 million RNs employed in the United States as of May 2011 worked in general medical and surgical hospitals, according to the BLS. Mean income here ran $69,810 a year. Doctors’ offices ranked next in the number of jobs and paid $72,890 per year on average. The top-paying employers for RNs were providers of personal care services, who paid $85,940 a year on average.

Cities

The BLS reports that among metropolitan areas, New York provided the most jobs for RNs and paid them an average of $83,060 per year. Chicago ranked second in total jobs and paid $70,820 per year on average. Rounding out the top three was Los Angeles, where RNs averaged $85,340 per year. The metro areas with the best pay were all in California. These included Vallejo-Fairfield at an average of $120,540 per year; San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at $117,590 per year; and Oakland-Freemont-Hayward at a mean $106,730 per year.

States

Among states, California had the most jobs for registered nurses and the highest pay with average salaries of $90,860 per year. Texas was next for employment and paid its RNs an average of $67,580 per year . Ranking second for the amount of pay was Massachusetts at a mean $86,810 per year. Hawaii followed at an average of $83,950 per year.

About the Author

Aurelio Locsin has been writing professionally since 1982. He published his first book in 1996 and is a frequent contributor to many online publications, specializing in consumer, business and technical topics. Locsin holds a Bachelor of Arts in scientific and technical communications from the University of Washington.